Sebastian Tostado made a strong statement to become the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Most Valuable Swimmer award Friday night, and there’s still one day left in the league’s championship meet.
Tostado won the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke Friday, giving him three individual titles for the meet after winning the 200 individual medley Thursday. Tostado was a member of the Britons winning 800 freestyle relay on Wednesday. If Tostado is named the most valuable swimmer, he’ll follow Brian Fiorillo, who claimed the award for the Britons in 2013 and ’14.
Tostado had the third-fastest backstroke time in the preliminaries, but he led the final from start to finish in putting up a school-record and NCAA Division III Championship ‘B’ cut time of 51.03 seconds.
Tostado was fourth after the first 50 yards of the freestyle final – one of the swimmers he trailed was teammate Derek Bosko – but he completed the second 50 in 25.64 seconds to lead Calvin’s Mitch Schroder by three-hundredths of a second. Tostado extended the lead to nearly a second by turning a 25.37 split over the third 50 yards. His final time, 1:40.87, also is a NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time.
“Sebastian has B cuts and school records in three different disciplines,” Albion Head Coach Jake Taber said. “He’s a talented young man.”
Almost lost in Tostado’s success was the performance of first-year student-athlete Parker Belmore. The Steavenson High School product produced 31 points by racing to third in the 100 backstroke (51.64) and fourth in the 100 butterfly (52.02).
“The league will be well aware of Parker after this weekend,” Taber said.
Taber boasted about how Garret Bosworth performed in back-to-back events. He finished 11th in the 400 individual medley (4:21.35) and 13th in the 100 butterfly (53.71).
“Garret had a challenging double and he found a way to get night swims in both events,” Taber said.
Albion sits in third place in the team standings because it had swimmers in championship and consolation races in every event Friday night.
Blake Blair and Andrew Mattson were sixth and eighth, respectively, in the 400 individual medley. Kyle Harvey (10th) and Lucas Harder (13th) had consolation swims.
Nick Deppner finished eighth in the 100 butterfly, with Nick Burris (12th) in the consolation heat.
Derek Bosko (fourth) and David Alday (ninth) scored in the 200 freestyle.
Landon Lefler, the only senior on the roster, finished sixth in the championship race of the 100 breaststroke. Harder (14th) and Cameron Ragan (16th) advanced to the consolation race.
Charlie Shinske (ninth), Nick Burris (11th) and Nick Smith (15th) swam in the consolation race of the 100 backstroke.
Albion hopes its 17-point lead over Hope College is enough to hold on to third place at the end of the meet. Taber expects the Flying Dutchmen to produce more points than the Britons in the Saturday events. The schedule includes the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 1,650 freestyle, and the 400 freestyle relay.
The team scoring after the Friday events has Calvin in the lead with 613 points. Kalamazoo (476), Albion (441) and Hope (424) are in a tight bunch. Olivet (126) and Alma (96) round out the standings.
“We’ll have to swim scared to hold off Hope,” Taber said.
While his swimmers have yet to win an event at these Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships, Albion Head Coach Jake Taber maintains this is the strongest women’s team he’s taken to the meet in his three years with the Britons.
Taber made that claim after only Calvin had more swimmers than the Britons had in championship or consolation races Friday night.
The first event of the night – the 200-yard medley relay – foreshadowed things to come as Anna Hargrove, Hailey Sambor, Sarah Kilbride and Lauren Pawelec secured a school-record time of 1:49.86.
“We started on a great note, and the best thing about the relay is that all four will return next year,” Taber said.
The Britons also drew inspiration from Laura Steavenson, a senior who has come back from two hip surgeries during her career. Steavenson achieved a sixth-place finish in the 200 freestyle, completing the race in 1:57.22.
Albion’s most productive event was the 100 butterfly where five swimmers picked up 30 points. First-year student-athlete Sarah Kilbride represented the Britons in the championship race and finished sixth. Jourden Burke (11th), Julia DiFiore (12th), Madison Vaive (13th) and Abigail Slager (15th) scored by advancing to the consolation heat.
The Britons gained 29 points from four athletes in the 400 individual medley. Mackenzie Chesley and Sambor finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the championship final. Haley DeFeyter (12th) and Tess Haadsma (16th) advanced to the consolation heat.
The 100 backstroke put 24 points in the Britons’ column. Anna Hargrove finished third in 58.40, less than a second behind champion Molly Meyer (57.68). Slager was 13th, Burke was 14th and Haley Wallis was 16th.
Sambor squeezed her way into the championship race in the 100 breaststroke and she finished eighth. Kylene Slocum and Claire Wittkowski finished 14th and 16th, respectively.
Albion sits in fourth place after two full days of competition. The team standings have Calvin in the lead with 506 points, followed by Hope (482), Kalamazoo (480), Albion (309), Alma (242) and Olivet (104).
The Saturday schedule includes the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 1,650 freestyle, the 400 freestyle relay, and 1-meter diving.
